


Stand By Her Friends

by Regen



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5475263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regen/pseuds/Regen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hawke's not too happy about something Sebastian is considering, and she lets him know it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stand By Her Friends

“…by that point,” Merrill said with a giggle, as she walked alongside Hawke, “he couldn’t back out. So out he went, in nothing but his small clothes, and hopped up into the aravel.”

Hawke covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her own laughter.

“He started to belt out a song. I think it was some kind of tavern song? We never figured out where he learned it from. But he sang it at the top of his lungs and woke up the whole clan. Oh, you should have seen the _look_ on the Keeper’s face.”

“Marethari never did strike me as having a strong sense of humor,” Hawke remarked as she turned the corner. She glanced behind her, making sure Fenris and Sebastian hadn’t fallen behind. It was easy to get separated on the docks.

Merrill shrugged. “Oh, it depends – or, well depended.” Her smile fell. Hawke opened her mouth to say something, but Merrill drew in a deep breath before continuing the story, “But no, that didn’t make her laugh. And that’s why brandy was banned from the clan. Apparently we can’t hold our liquor too well.”

“Well, that certainly explains why you’re on the floor after a couple rounds at the Hanged Man.” Hawke snickered when Merrill poked her in her side for the comment. Still, she was glad Merrill was opening up to her more about her clan and her past. Sometimes it was still hard for Merrill to talk about them, considering the way things had ended with Marethari and the demon. Seeing Merrill laugh and smile again eased Hawke’s worries.

Fenris sighed from somewhere behind them before murmuring something to Sebastian. Hawke’s brow puckered as she listened in on their conversation. Beside her, she could see Merrill doing the same. The men didn’t seem to notice their conversation had ended.

“…yes, I agree. But it’s our duty to tell the templars,” Sebastian said, his gaze fixated on Fenris.

Hawke felt her stomach drop to her feet, eyes widening momentarily in shock. _I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised,_ she thought to herself as she glanced at Merrill. _He_ is _part of the Chantry. But why now, after years of silence?_

“Then why haven’t you done it?” Fenris asked, unknowingly voicing Hawke’s question.

Merrill clutched her fist at her side, but her expression was carefully blank.

“I guess I was hoping they would come to it on their own.”

Barely refraining from rolling her eyes, Hawke shook her head and kept her eyes trained ahead of her. She should have known he wouldn’t keep his silence forever. It was a minor miracle that Aveline hadn’t said anything, given what had happened with Anders and Merrill in the past.

Fenris snorted, rubbing his hand over his chin. “And then you wouldn’t have to betray Hawke’s friends, right?”

While Hawke couldn’t see the look on Sebastian’s face, she could hear the hard edge in his voice, “That’s not reason enough to allow a maleficar to walk free.”

Finally, Merrill could no longer hold her silence. “Are you talking about me?” Despite the question, her tone made it clear that she already knew the answer.

Seemingly ignoring her, Sebastian pressed on, “Which of us should do it? Shall we draw lots?”

Hawke felt her blood run cold, and she almost rounded on them then when Fenris spoke up with a wry laugh, “Uh-uh, you want to turn them in, you work it out with Hawke.”

Well, at least one of them still had some self-preservation instinct left in them.

But it did little to abate Hawke’s anger. She turned suddenly on her heel, bringing their walk to a dead halt. “Well, funny that you mention it, seeing as I’m _right here_.”

“Hawke-”

She cut Sebastian off with a cold glare, marching right up to him. Though he loomed a half foot above her, he nearly cowered under her gaze. His shoulders tensed and his back went rigid as he tried to appear unafraid.

“I understand they’re your friends,” he said after a moment, gathering his courage. “but they are-”

“Not your problem.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she raised her hand to silence him. “Sebastian, do not get me wrong. They both have made mistakes. However, Merrill has only endangered herself so far. Seven years and nothing has happened while she’s been in the city. The worst she does is pick flowers from other people’s gardens. And don’t you dare,” she murmured, her voice low and warning in her tone, “bring up the Sundermount incident.”

He huffed. “And Anders?”

That… was a bit trickier. “Again, seven years and the worst he’s done is put one apprentice in danger. He’s saved countless lives in Darktown. He’s just made a couple bad choices.”

Fenris snorted derisively. “A couple?”

She shot him a look to silence him before continuing, “But I am _not_ going to turn him into the templars and see him made Tranquil or killed. And I won’t let it happen to Merrill, either. So, no. My answer is no and it always will be no.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Hawke-”

“If they get turned in, then I go with them.”

The prince clearly hadn’t expected that response. His eyes widened in surprise, and Hawke could feel Fenris stiffen next to them.

“Absolutely not-” he began to say with a snarl.

“No!” Merrill clutched Hawke’s arm, like the templars were already coming to drag her away. “Don’t. The city needs you. The others need you, too.”

“And I need you and Anders,” Hawke said, her gaze softening a little as she looked back at Merrill. “Besides, it wouldn’t be right to let him turn you two in when I live outside the Circle as well. Champion or not.” She swiveled back around and stared at Sebastian. “So there are your options. Either all three of us stay or we all go. You don’t get to pick and choose.”

“You’re not maleficar-”

“Technically, you don’t know that for certain. But regardless, I’m breaking the law as much as them. That the Chantry and Meredith tolerate me living outside the Circle is irrelevant. And that may not last forever.” It was a careful line Hawke had to walk every day, making sure she did nothing that the knight-commander could use against her to have her brought to the Gallows. Someday she would slip, or so Hawke believed. “Take it or leave it, Vael.”

For a long moment, Sebastian seemed to war with himself. He glanced over at Fenris, who leveled a hard look at him. With Hawke using herself as leverage, any support he could have counted on from the elf had vanished. Aveline would refuse, and so would Varric and Isabela. And of course, Anders would tell him off, and the last thing he wanted was Justice coming after him.

Finally, he sighed. “You drive a hard bargain, Hawke. For now I’ll say nothing, so long as they both do nothing to endanger the city. But if they do-”

“I’ll handle it. It’s my job as Champion, after all.” She smiled wryly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Now, if we’re quite done threatening to turn in my friends to the crazy blonde lady we all know and loathe, let’s continue on, shall we?”

There was no room for argument. She adjusted her staff and resumed walking towards their destination, linking Merrill’s arm in her own. A subtle way to drive her point in further.

Merrill smiled sheepishly, giving Hawke’s arm a squeeze. “Thank you. I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you, but I’m glad I have you.”

 “I could say the same,” Hawke murmured.


End file.
